DARLINGTON have climbed into the top half of the National League North table after new signing Will McGowan helped secure a dominant 3-0 win over Southport.

The midfielder was signed by Quakers on Thursday to boost their firepower, and he was an instant hit, scoring twice as Steve Watson's side recorded their biggest win of the season and also their sixth successive clean sheet in the league.

There were also good debuts from defender Andy Evans, who was signed from Morecambe on Friday afternoon, and Joe Leesley, who has been injured since he signed in July.

Quakers assistant manager, Terry Mitchell said: “I thought we scored three cracking goals. I know two of them were different to the middle one, but all goals are good goals.

“I thought Will had a great game. For his first goal, he got the through ball, came inside and finished very well.

“And for his second, he’s worked hard without the ball and pressed their keeper to force an error, then he’s kept his composure to put the ball in. Nella (Andrew Nelson) has a great strike on him, and he gave the keeper no chance.”

Quakers have now kept six successive clean sheets in the league, which would have been seven in all matches if it wasn’t for the FA Cup tie at West Didsbury and Chorlton.

“Six clean sheets are outstanding in any league you’re playing in, especially National League North," added Mitchell. "We’re absolutely delighted with the way we defend as a full team. Everybody has got their jobs to do, and we can’t fault them on that side of things.”

Quakers’ injury jinx struck again after nine minutes when full back Levi Andoh pulled up with a thigh injury and had to be replaced by Cameron Salkeld.

The home side took the lead on 18 minutes with a great goal by McGowan. He controlled a ball forward by Scott Barrow, skipped inside a defender on the bobbly pitch and beat Southport keeper Chris Renshaw with a left-foot shot into the bottom corner of the net.

Southport tried to get the ball forward quickly, and they nearly equalised soon after with a left-foot shot by Danny Lloyd which flew just past the left-hand post.

McGowan nearly got a second when Maskell found him with a good flick, and he moved forward from the left side and struck a low shot that Renshaw saved at full stretch.

There weren’t many chances in a scrappy start to the second half, and Southport nearly converted one of them when a free-kick was floated over the top of the Darlington defence for substitute Jamie Proctor to side-foot into Peter Jameson’s hands.

Jameson’s counterpart at the other end, Renshaw, wasn’t so assured on 70 minutes, and provided a model lesson in why goalkeepers perhaps shouldn’t try to play the ball out from the back.

He received a back-pass, tried to pass the ball forward into midfield, but McGowan quickly intercepted, got away from the keeper and a covering defender, and knocked the ball into the net for his second of the game to make him the club’s joint-top scorer.

Ten minutes later, and the points were won when Joe Leesley’s free-kick from the left went over to the far post where substitute Nelson took a touch, and from a tight angle he crashed the ball beyond Renshaw and into the net.

Quakers were determined to hang on to their clean sheet, and Jameson made sure in the last minute with a good stop from Danny Lloyd.